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Madrid faces an indefinite teachers’ strike from 14 October
The new school year will begin in Madrid under the threat of conflict that may define much of the autumn. Nine unions and groups have called an indefinite general strike in non-university public education from 14 October, a call that may involve more than 60,000 teachers from schools, secondary schools and vocational-training centres.
Classes will begin before the strike arrives: Nursery and Primary pupils will return to school on 7 September, and ESO, Bachillerato and FP pupils will do so on the 8th. That leaves just over a month to negotiate before the strike can disrupt timetables, classes and the daily organisation of thousands of families.
This week, the organisers sent a letter to the Education Minister, Mercedes Zarzalejo, requesting immediate negotiations to avoid reaching 14 October. The strike committee says there is still room to defuse the conflict, but calls for specific changes rather than merely further meetings.
The main demands include reducing teaching hours to 17 periods a week in Secundaria y FP and 22 in Primary, lowering class sizes, more resources for attention to diversity and measures to reduce temporary employment. They also demand a monthly pay rise of 600 euros and improvements to conditions in schools.
Air conditioning and the condition of some buildings are also part of the list of demands. The unions call for a specific plan to deal with episodes of heat and cold and greater investment in infrastructure, especially in older schools or those in areas with strong growth in pupil numbers.
The protest will first have an initial test on the streets. The groups are preparing a major demonstration for 27 September, intending to increase pressure on Comunidad de Madrid before the formal start of the strike. The call revives some of the spirit of Marea Verde’s education protests, although this time the stated aim is to maintain the stoppage indefinitely if there is no agreement.
The Ministry says it will listen to the demands, but defends the sectoral agreement signed in 2025 and considers that commitments to improve teachers’ conditions are already under way. The organisers, however, believe that framework is insufficient and demand broader measures.
For families, September will therefore begin normally in classrooms, but with a date marked in red a few weeks later. If negotiations fail, 14 October could change the routine in schools and secondary schools and move the education conflict from negotiating tables into every neighbourhood of Madrid.